Spring parade of retro transport: old trolleybuses

I love retro transport - old cars, trams, buses, steam trains.... Old transport is cosy, warm, lamplike. The design of old cars looks exquisite, you can admire smooth forms for a long time. But it is the old trams, trolleybuses and buses that evoke the most emotions. Especially the ones I used to ride in my childhood. It's enough to go inside to be rejuvenated for a few years. And if you get into an old bus and stand on a spot near the back window, you can return for a few moments your childhood perception of the world around you.

I love going to retro transport exhibitions. In fact, you can admire retro transport even every day, all you need to do is visit a museum. But in the museum trams are taken out of the usual urban environment, so I like more those days when there are parades of retro transport. Sometimes, on city holidays, old trams and trolleybuses drive through the city streets and make a long stop near the circus.

It was great sunny weather and a lot of people came to see the old transport. There were so many people that in any shot with the overall shot, there appeared to be a crowd in the foreground. Many people came with their children, and the children were happily settling into the new unfamiliar space. the tram trailer was instantly transformed into a climbing slide.

Most of the trolleybuses were familiar to frequent visitors of such exhibitions (retro transport fans like me). But apart from the familiar exhibits, new models were also brought to the square, which had just been added to the exposition. These wagons have not been repaired yet, rust is hiding under the layers of paint, and it is unknown how bad the condition of the running gear is. Once restored, these carriages will be transformed.

I took the opportunity to go inside the old trolleybuses and sit on the soft sofas. The interior of these buses has been meticulously restored.

Near the front door is a ticket booth. There is a stencilled inscription on the wall next to it, it is an instruction for passengers: Put 4 kopecks into the ticket booth and tear off the ticket. There is no continuation of the instruction on the wall, but I remember what had to be done next. Each ticket had a six-digit number, and you had to add together the first three digits and the last three. If the sum matched, the ticket was considered lucky and had to be eaten immediately. I don't remember what was supposed to be done if the controllers came afterwards and asked to show the ticket, unfortunately.

On the driver's cabin there is a round clock and this detail puzzles me. I do not remember such clock, it seems that it was not provided in the factory. But I remember well the inscription on the glass that separates the driver's cabin from the passenger compartment: ‘it is forbidden to talk to the driver while driving!’. You can only stand quietly and silently watch without distracting the driver from the complex road situation.

Soon I left the exhibition, as there was a lot planned for that day. But on my way back home in the evening, I decided to make a small detour in the hope that not all the retro vehicles had left the square yet. The official opening hours of the exhibition had already ended, most of the cars had left, and there were no trams either. But the trolleybuses were still standing on the square near the circus. They were the last to leave, because no trolleybus routes have ever passed through this square and there is no trolleybus contact network.

Modern models of trolleybuses are equipped with additional batteries, which provide them with a free range. These are the trolleybuses that are currently used on the routes. They can easily overcome areas without overhead contact lines. But older models did not have such batteries. A special tractor is used to take the trolleybuses to the nearest street with an overhead contact line. The trolleybuses wait until the square is clear of other exhibits and then leave one by one. Meanwhile, visitors to the exhibition take the last opportunity to sit in an old trolleybus or take selfies against the retro-transport background.

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Smartphone	Google Pixel 3a
Location	Saint Petersburg, Russia